Abstract PD12-09: PD12-09 Serum Advanced Glycation End-Products are Associated with Breast Cancer Prognosis
Authors: Lindsay L. Peterson, Yu Tao, Jingqin Luo, Graham A. Colditz, Yikyung Park, Jennifer A. Ligibel, David Turner
Journal: Cancer Research (2023)

Abstract Background: Tumor characteristics such as grade, stage and receptor status are associated with breast cancer (BC) prognosis. Less is known about modifiable factors and BC prognosis. Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) are reactive metabolites produced as a by-product of sugar metabolism, generated in conditions of increased oxidative stress. AGEs irreversibly accumulate in our tissues over time with pathogenic effects on genetic fidelity, protein function, cell signaling pathways, and chronic inflammatory diseases. The total body AGE pool is composed of endogenous AGEs and exogenous AGEs (consumed mainly through processed foods and those cooked at high temperatures). Serum AGE (sAGE) levels, a reflection of total body AGE, are higher in people with poor diet quality, lower levels of physical activity, and in women with BC compared to healthy controls. AGEs promote growth, migration and invasion in BC cell lines and activate prognostic inflammatory mediators such as interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein. Dietary AGEs have been associated with increased BC risk and increased mortality after BC diagnosis whereas lifestyle interventions can lower dietary and sAGE levels. The impact of sAGE levels, a better estimate of total body AGE than dietary AGE, on BC prognosis has not been previously evaluated. Methods: The Women’s Healthy Eating and Living (WHEL) study randomized 3088 BC patients stage I-III who completed their primary therapy to a high-vegetable, low-fat diet or control and followed for a median of 7.3 years. Main outcomes were invasive BC events (recurrence or new primary N=518), death due to BC (N=262) and deaths from any cause (N=315). sAGE was measured as the AGE metabolite carboxymethyllysine (ug/ml) from WHEL fasting blood specimens at study entry. sAGE was logged and corrected for plate batch effect via linear regression and analyzed in continuous scale and in quintiles. The Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression model were performed for risk impact of sAGE on overall survival (OS), recurrence free survival (RFS), breast cancer specific survival (BCSS) and distant metastasis free survival (DMFS). We additionally adjusted in Cox models for potential confounding variables (age, race, BMI, smoking, alcohol use, physical activity, tumor characteristics). Results: 2564 participants had sAGE available. After excluding samples for excessive variabilities, 2315 samples were analyzed. Raw corrected sAGE ranged from 0.0-48.15 ug/ml (median 7.39); logged and corrected range -5.04-1.67. sAGE was positively associated with BMI (p&amp;lt;.0001, rs 0.10) and negatively associated with physical activity (p&amp;lt; .001, rs.-0.06). sAGE was not significantly associated with tumor stage, grade, receptor status, or race or menopausal status. Comparing the highest quintile (logged and corrected range=0.33~1.67) to the lowest quintile (range=-5.04~-0.30), sAGE was significantly associated with all survival outcomes (Table 1). As a continuous variable, AGE was associated with worse OS (HR 1.38, P=.031, β .32) and RFS (HR 1.29, P=.028, β .25) with a trend towards worse DMFS (HR 1.28, P=.067, β .25) and BCSS (HR 1.36, P=.06, β .31). Conclusions: Higher sAGEs are associated with worse survival outcomes in BC and may represent a novel, lifestyle-linked, modifiable prognostic biomarker in BC. Interventions aimed at lowering sAGE levels should be tested for their impact on known prognostic biomarkers as well as clinical outcomes. Individualized cancer-specific lifestyle recommendations are a crucial but currently lacking component of personalized cancer medicine. Citation Format: Lindsay L. Peterson, Yu Tao, Jingqin Luo, Graham A. Colditz, Yikyung Park, Jennifer A. Ligibel, David Turner. PD12-09 Serum Advanced Glycation End-Products are Associated with Breast Cancer Prognosis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2022 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2022 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(5 Suppl):Abstract nr PD12-09.